Above Sea Level Sneak Preview
by sjam
Summary: Nilea is part of a small race of strange and so far undiscovered species. When a ship crash-lands on their little, calm planet she ends up discovering more about the vast universe that she would never dared to imagine. COMING SOON!


!NEW TEASER!

here is a sneak preview of my current wip - what d'ya think?

Above Sea Level

Nilea is part of a small race of strange and so far undiscovered species. When a ship crash-lands on their little, calm planet she ends up discovering more about the vast universe that she would never dared to imagine.

Chapter One: Life in Cold Water

Nilea slowly opened her eyes with a sigh as she relaxed, watching the distorted horizon from her position in the deep, dark water that was her home. A rippling sun lazily lit their isolated little planet, glowing orange as the warm day came slowly to a close.

She was nearing her sixteenth year of life, and the promises of dancing and celebrations were sweet in her mind, a smile drifting onto her lips as she thought of the fun and dancing that would follow being alive for yet another year.

"Nilea! Cruis is coming to the reef later on, you should join us!" Nilea rolled over and swum easily back deeper into the cold water, listening as her sister called her. Though the offer was tempting, sitting on the reef with her eldest sister, Kiea and Kiea's boyfriend wasn't something she was fond of doing too often. Not only did it make her feel young and foolish, the painfully sweet memories of a time when it had been _her_ and Cruis were still bitterly fresh in her mind.

"Maybe later!" Nilea called back eventually, the clear syllables of their native tongue easily travelling the distance as it sped through the waters. Continuing her path downwards, she flitted her small, but powerful fins to help her travel faster. She had three pairs of fins – either side of her hips and a pair on each ankle.

Her species were called Aquarilesons, obviously an aquatic race. Their home planet of Shiere was almost completely covered with cold ocean water, apart from the Land Ring, a circle of nine quite large and separate islands where the main villages were situated.

Nilea loved to visit them, but after a moment's consideration, decided not to. The threat of a rare storm was hanging overhead, and she didn't want to be caught out and tossed on the rocks – especially on the ninth island.

Swimming down in a spiral, Nilea watched as the fish darted away, absently grasping one with a three fingered (and one thumb!) hand, waiting for the poison that spread from small glands in her palm to kill the writhing fish.

After it became still, Nilea tore into the flesh with sharp teeth; savouring the fresh salty taste as she reached the underwater grottos. A veil of carefully attached seaweed and shells clattered at the entrance of her own home-cave as she pushed it out of the way, kicking her long legs for a last extra boost to get inside.

The interior was simply furnished, a large stone at one side for preparing and eating meals, a stone chest for food storage and another for her robes – worn only when on land; mostly on festival days. Another veil covered the entrance to another tinier room with a small bed made from the woven, thick hair from the native land animals, Kreyl, strengthened with some seaweed and scales.

Resting her bare feet on the floor, she walked over to her storage chest and pulled out another small fish, not bothering to shed the scales – her mattress wouldn't need replacing for about another month anyway.

After finishing her meal, Nilea walked into her bedroom, eager to get some rest. The day had been long and tiring and she wanted nothing more at the moment than to lie down and sleep.

She settled down, pulling the thin cover over her greenish skin and closing her eyes, soon drifting into a deep slumber.

88

Nilea woke with a start, her hands flying up in front of her face defensively. As her eyes quickly adjusted to the half light, she lowered her guard…nobody was there. There never was. Rubbing her brow and sitting up, Nilea closed her eyes and tried to push away the dreams. Wiping some sweat from her forehead, she slowly got up and grasped herself some breakfast before heading back out into the familiar ocean waters.

The early day was cold, and Nilea felt a shiver as she swum quickly to the surface. Eventually her head broke the surface of the rolling waves, still unpredictable after the storm. From the silence both under and above the water, she guessed that everyone was still asleep – and felt a pang of envy.

She couldn't remember the last time she had had a proper lie in.

Heading towards the sixth island, she briefly wondered what surprises would be in store for her age celebration this year. Last year they had built a bonfire, dancing around it and singing until their skin grew dry and they had to dive into the water to freshen up. A small smile touched her lips as she remembered how the little ones had grabbed each other's hands and spun around, singing the song of the nine islands.

As she dived back underwater to travel faster, Nilea found herself humming the Land Ring song under her breath, the enchanting tune easy to remember and sounded amazing when every joined in with the various harmonies...

COMING SOON!

Tell me what you think - I'm planning this to be more of an independant fic, but some familiar characters (well one anyway) will be coming later on...If anyone is interested in the Aquarilesons' physical appearence, let me know and I'll chuck it at the end here somewhere.


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